World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst is delighted that his federation has received the backing of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but told Reuters on Thursday that the real work had just begun.

The IOC said in a statement: “World Boxing has continued to make progress regarding the identified areas of consideration in order to be recommended for IOC Provisional Recognition as the IF (international federation) with the Olympic movement governing the sport of boxing at world level.”

The International Olympic Committee has granted provisional recognition to World Boxing as the sport’s international governing body, signifying a major step towards the inclusion of the sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.